Some business travellers and tourists in Asia have been shunning September 11 flights to the United States, prompting airlines to cut back services to a handful of American cities over the anniversary.
But one year after suicide hijackers flew airliners into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, the travel industry reports no lasting fear of flying - with travellers returning to the skies in ever increasing numbers.
Some carriers, among them Air China, say they have even seen no drop in bookings to North America this week.
Germany's Lufthansa and Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific both said they had cut a number of flights to the United States.
Lufthansa's Asia-Pacific senior manager for corporate communications said the German carrier had not seen any drop in bookings between Asia and Europe, but was cutting flights to some US cities today, the anniversary of the attacks.
"There will be adjustments to reduce one flight to New York, Boston and Washington on September 11 because of reduction in travel demand on that day," Clara So said.
Cathay Pacific Airways' Singapore country manager, Chung Mak, said operations were mainly unaffected but the carrier had reduced its two daily flights from Singapore to Los Angeles to one from September 9 to 11.
Other airlines reported lower bookings to the United States in September on a year-on-year basis, but some stressed it was also an off-peak period.
Qantas Airways, Australia's biggest airline, said there was a slight drop in bookings to the United States this week compared with last year, but that more passengers were booked to travel between Australia, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan.
"This is a low season traditionally for traffic between the United States and Singapore," said Laurence Chin, United Airlines' acting general manager for Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Sri Lanka.
But there were notable exceptions. "Sales of air ticket have not been influenced at all," an official of flagship carrier Air China said. "Tickets for flights to northern America and Europe are all sold out this month."
Checks with Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Airlines and Malaysian Airlines showed no drop in bookings this week. Singapore Airlines was not immediately available for comment.
Travel agents and airlines say bookings are returning to pre-September 11 levels, helped by a spike ahead of the peak year-end tourist season.
"We do see a vote of confidence in travel again... in the months of September, October, November and December," said Alicia Seah, senior manager for business development at SA (UIC) Tours, one of Singapore's largest outbound leisure travel agents.
"On September 11, we have groups departing for Japan, Korea, Australia and China," she said, adding that tours to the United States would leave later in the month.
A one-day travel fair organised by the agency this month racked up S$8 million ($4.59 million) in sales, with advanced bookings to Europe up 30 per cent. Those to North America rose 60 per cent compared with the period following the attacks last year.
"There was also some pent-up demand because people stayed at home during the World Cup," Seah said.
The number of Japanese venturing overseas has nearly recovered to the record levels of past years.
"So far as we are concerned, the impact of the attacks has nearly vanished," said Tsuguo Chihara of the Japan Travel Bureau, the nation's largest travel agency. "Bookings for September are 95 per cent of what they were two years ago. I think, with last-minute reservations, we'll run even in the end."
Travel agents in Malaysia said demand was high this week due to school holidays, with few hints of September 11 fears."I think people have forgotten about it," one agent said.